Pony Camp Read online

  To Daisy-May—a challenge,

  but always fun and warmhearted

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Text copyright © 2009 by Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Angela Swan. Cover illustration © 2009 by Andrew Farley. First printed in Great Britain in 2009 by Penguin Books Ltd. First published in the United States in 2014 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Printed in the USA.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 978-0-698-16435-2

  Version_1

  Pony Camp

  SUE BENTLEY

  illustrated by Angela Swan

  Grosset & Dunlap

  An Imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC

  Contents

  Dedication

  Title Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Comet folded his gold-feathered wings as he drifted down to land on Rainbow Mist Island. The grass was lush and velvety beneath his shining hooves. It felt good to be home.

  But the magic pony’s happiness faded as he thought of his twin sister. Destiny had been gone for so long. Surely she would have found her way back here by now.

  He trotted hopefully up the slope toward a small forest. Comet’s deep violet eyes scanned the trees for signs of movement. Maybe Destiny was staying there, away from the hot sun.

  Sunlight poured down onto Comet’s cream coat and flowing mane and tail, which glimmered like spun gold silk. Comet paused to drink from a spring that bubbled over shimmering, moss-covered rocks.

  The nearby trees were covered in light-pink and violet leaves that rustled softly in the breeze. Suddenly the ground shook as thudding hooves approached. Was it another pony from Comet’s Lightning Herd or one of the fierce dark horses? Comet tensed, ready to turn and flee, but then hesitated.

  Perhaps it was his twin sister, hurrying to greet him!

  “Destiny?”

  An older horse with glowing dark eyes burst into the open. Its nostrils were flared and it was breathing hard.

  “Blaze!” Comet greeted the leader of the Lightning Herd. “What’s wrong? Is Destiny with you?”

  Blaze reared up onto his back legs. “It was a dark horse, but the stone helped me outrun it!” As he grew calmer, his dark eyes softened. “I am glad to see you again, my young friend. But I am afraid that Destiny has not come back.”

  Disappointment flooded through Comet. “She must think she is still in trouble.”

  The Lightning Herd’s Stone of Power protected them from the dark horses who wanted to steal their magic. It had been lost while Comet and Destiny were playing a game of cloud-racing. Comet had found the stone again, but Destiny had already left.

  “You must find her and tell her it is safe to return.” Blaze struck the grass with one shining front hoof and a fiery opal appeared.

  As Comet drew closer, the Stone grew larger and multicolored rays of light streamed out from it. An image formed in the center. He saw a pony galloping across green fields in a world far away.

  Comet’s eyes widened. “There she is!”

  There was a flash of bright violet light and a drift of rainbow mist that swirled around the magic pony. Where the cream-colored winged pony had stood there was now a glossy dark-brown Fell pony with a white star on his forehead.

  “Go now. Use this disguise,” Blaze urged. “Bring Destiny back safely!”

  “I will,” Comet vowed.

  He whinnied as he felt the power building within him. The swirling multicolored mist thickened as it drew him in.

  Chapter

  ONE

  Lindsey Heaven’s heart thudded uncomfortably as the car and horse trailer turned in through the imposing stone gates. Acres of open fields and woodland stretched away on either side. Hamilton Hall, a large stone building, was on a hill in the distance.

  A sign pointing the other way read HAMILTON RIDING.

  “Look at that view!” Mr. Heaven exclaimed as he headed toward the riding center. “I bet you’re already imagining going for a ride on Allsorts.”

  “Mmm,” Lindsey murmured vaguely, feeling another flutter of nerves.

  Allsorts was Lindsey’s pony. It had been her mom and dad’s idea for her to come to pony camp. They thought she spent too much time alone and needed to meet more kids her own age. And they weren’t sure if they could afford to keep Allsorts for much longer and wanted Lindsey to enjoy camp with her own pony.

  “Ah, here we are.” Mr. Heaven spotted a number of small log cabins through the trees.

  “Lindsey is in number four,” Mrs. Heaven said. “There it is, over there. It’ll be fun to sleep in a cabin. They look really cozy.”

  My bedroom’s even cozier, Lindsey thought, wishing she was there right now.

  She took a deep breath as she nervously imagined having to share a room with other kids. She hoped they’d be easy to get along with. She really did want to try and make new friends.

  They pulled up in front of the rows of cabins and her dad got her suitcase out of the trunk. There were cars and horse trailers everywhere. Lindsey could see kids through open cabin doors, dumping their suitcases, calling out greetings, and choosing beds.

  A slim woman with a blond ponytail seemed to be in charge. She smiled at Lindsey. “Hi! I’m Gina Morgan, chief instructor. Welcome to Hamilton Riding.”

  Lindsey smiled shyly. “Thank you,” she said politely. “I’m Lindsey Heaven.”

  The woman checked her name off on a clipboard. “Go right in, Lindsey. Two of your cabinmates have already arrived. The other’s been held up, but is on her way. You can start getting to know each other while your parents take your pony to the stable.”

  Lindsey swallowed hard. “You’ll . . . you’ll come and say good-bye before you leave, won’t you?”

  “Of course we will!” Mrs. Heaven patted her daughter’s arm. “Off you go now. We’ll see to Allsorts.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Tell him I’ll come and give him a hug later.”

  Lindsey watched the car and horse trailer pulling away and then went into the cabin. Sunlight was pouring in through two large windows. Four beds were in the roomy cabin, one placed on either side of each window. Bright yellow curtains and checkered sheets made the room cheerful and welcoming.

  Two girls had already claimed the beds neares
t to the bathroom door. They were unpacking suitcases and folding clothes into chests of drawers.

  One of them turned around. She was tall and pretty with shiny brown hair and fashionable-looking clothes. She seemed about eleven years old. “I’m Natasha Smart, but I only speak to people if they call me Tash,” she said curtly.

  “Um . . . Hi, Tash. I’m Lindsey, but everyone calls me Lins,” Lindsey replied, a bit thrown by Natasha’s abruptness.

  Tash just nodded toward the other girl. “That’s Shawna, and just so you know, she’s my best friend.”

  Lindsey’s heart sank. It was obvious Tash didn’t care about making friends like she did. This was turning out to be just like school. She wandered sadly over to one of the spare beds.

  “This place is cool, isn’t it?” Shawna said. Freckles dotted her pale skin and she wore her long red hair in a braid.

  “Um . . . yeah, it seems really nice—” Lindsey began, in an effort to be friendly to the other older girl. But then she realized that Shawna was talking to Tash.

  “Duh!” Tash mocked. “What a dummy!”

  The two girls giggled and rolled their eyes.

  Lindsey felt herself blushing and wished she could sink into the floor. Opening her suitcase, she tried to ignore the other girls as she began putting her clothes in her dresser.

  “So, which pony camps have you been to?” Shawna called out. “Hey! You listening?”

  Lindsey realized that she was being spoken to this time. “I haven’t been to camp before. This is my first one.”

  “Oh great!” Tash snorted. “We’re stuck with a camp newbie! Are you any good at riding?”

  Lindsey’s cheeks were practically burning. She knew she must be as red as a beet. “I’m . . . um, okay, I think,” she said modestly. The riding-school owner said she was actually pretty good, but Lindsey didn’t like to boast.

  “Well, you’d better be! We don’t want any lame ducks losing us team points!” Tash retorted.

  Shawna laughed and chucked her pillow at Tash. “I’m done unpacking. Let’s go explore!”

  Linking arms, the friends wandered out together.

  “See you later,” Lindsey called, but neither of the other girls answered. The cabin door slammed shut in her face.

  She plonked herself down onto her bed. How was she going to get through the next week with those two? Shawna was tolerable, but Tash was an absolute nightmare. Lindsey just hoped that the final girl, who had yet to arrive, would be nicer than they were.

  She was still sitting there when her mom and dad came to say good-bye. “Everything’s taken care of. Allsorts is in his stall, and you can go and see him whenever you’d like,” her mom told her.

  Her dad ruffled her short brown hair. “So we’re going to go now. See you next week. Have a wonderful time. And we’ll call you in the morning.”

  There was a horrible sinking feeling in Lindsey’s tummy, and she only just managed to stop herself from begging them to take her home with them. Instead she gave them a big hug and said her good-byes. Outside the cabin, she waved until their car was out of sight.

  Sighing heavily, she wondered what to do next. Finally, she decided to go and find the stables. There was a path through the woods and some buildings in the distance. She set off through the trees.

  Lindsey was only just out of sight of the cabin when she reached a clearing. There was a sudden bright flash and a patch of glittering multicolored mist appeared and filled the whole area in front of her. She noticed rainbow droplets twinkling on her bare arms.

  “Oh!” Lindsey scrunched her face, trying to see through the strange mist.

  As it slowly cleared, she spotted a pretty dark-brown Fell pony, with a white star on its forehead, walking toward her. “Can you help me, please?” it asked in a velvety whinny.

  Chapter

  TWO

  Lindsey’s eyes widened as she stared at the pretty pony in complete astonishment.

  She didn’t know what a pony was doing loose in the woods, but she did know that it couldn’t possibly have talked to her! She shook her head slowly, thinking that she must be imagining things.

  She walked toward the pony, with her hands at her sides so she wouldn’t alarm it.

  “Hello, there,” she said, in a soft, encouraging voice. “Aren’t you gorgeous? How did you manage to escape? I bet everyone’s looking for you. I’d better find the stables and take you back there.”

  The pony’s ears twitched and it lifted its head proudly. “I did not escape from anywhere. I have just arrived here from Rainbow Mist Island.”

  Lindsey stopped in her tracks. “Y-you really c-can talk?” she stuttered. “Or is this some kind of trick?”

  She looked around nervously, expecting to see Tash hiding behind a tree, ready to jump out and make fun of her. It seemed like the kind of thing she might do. But there was no one in sight.

  She turned back to the pony, frowning in puzzlement. For the first time, she noticed that it had unusually deep violet eyes.

  “I am Comet of the Lightning Herd. What is your name?” it neighed politely.

  Lindsey blinked, finally having to accept that something totally amazing was happening. “I’m . . . I’m Lindsey Heaven, but everyone calls me Lins. I’m here at pony camp.”

  Comet dipped his head in a formal bow and his dark brown mane fell forward. “I am honored to meet you, Lins.”

  Lindsey hesitated. Should she curtsy or something? She settled for awkwardly leaning forward. “Um . . . me too.” The shock started to wear off, and her curiosity took over. “No offense, but why did you come here?”

  Comet snorted and twitched his tail. “I am looking for my twin sister who is lost and in hiding. She is called Destiny.”

  Lindsey looked around for another magic pony, but this part of the woods was empty except for her and Comet. “But why is Destiny in hiding? Is someone after her?” she asked.

  Comet’s neck drooped a little with sadness. “We were playing cloud-racing in the night sky, when Destiny accidentally lost the Stone of Power. The stone protects the Lightning Herd from the dark horses who want to steal our magic. I found it again, but Destiny had already left. Now she is far away from the stone’s protection and in danger of being found by the dark horses.”

  Lindsey listened hard. It all sounded so magical and strange. But one thing he said was bothering her. “You and Destiny were cloud-racing? In the sky? But how—”

  “Please stay there,” Comet whinnied, backing away.

  Lindsey felt a warm prickling sensation, like pins and needles flowing through her fingers right to the tips. Violet sparkles bloomed in Comet’s dark-brown coat and a light rainbow mist whirled around him. The pretty Fell pony disappeared and in his place stood a large, regal cream-colored pony, with a flowing golden mane and tail. Springing from his shoulders were magnificent, gleaming gold-feathered wings.

  Lindsey gasped. Nothing could have prepared her for such a beautiful sight. She was speechless with wonder.

  “Comet?” she breathed, when she could finally speak.

  “Yes, it is still me, Lins. There is nothing to fear,” Comet said in a deep, musical neigh. There was a final flash and a swirl of glittering mist, and Comet reappeared as a pretty dark-brown pony with a white star on his forehead.

  “Wow! That’s a brilliant disguise. Can Destiny do that, too?”

  Comet nodded. “But no disguise will save her if our enemies discover her,” he snorted gravely. “I must look for her. Will you help me?”

  Lindsey felt a flicker of doubt. The dark horses sounded fierce and dangerous. What would a nervous scaredy-cat like her be able to do against them? But then the magic pony came right up to her. Leaning forward, he pushed his satiny nose into her hand.

  Lindsey’s heart melted as she felt Comet huffing warm breath onto her fingers. “Of course I
will—we’ll search for Destiny together.”

  “Thank you, Lins.”

  “Just wait until you meet Tash and Shawna. That’ll show them who’s . . .”

  Comet pulled back his ears. “No! I am sorry, Lins. You can tell no one about me or what I have told you!”

  Lindsey was confused. It was going to be pretty hard to keep Comet a secret. A loose pony that didn’t belong to anyone was bound to attract attention. She told Comet this.

  “You must promise,” the magic pony insisted. “All will be well, Lins.”

  As Lindsey looked into his intelligent eyes, she felt a warm, happy glow spread through her and realized that she trusted him completely. “Well—okay, then,” she agreed, smiling. “Cross my heart.”

  “Thank you, Lins.”

  “I’ll try to slip away and meet you later, once I find out how things work here,” she told him. “This place is huge. There are acres of fields and woods with lakes where Destiny could be hiding.”

  Suddenly a loud voice called out, “Whatever are you doing, talking to yourself? You’re a bit old to have an imaginary friend, aren’t you?”

  Lindsey looked up to see Tash coming toward her. She took a deep breath. How was she going to explain about Comet?

  “Um . . . I was just—” she began.

  “Save it for someone who’s interested,” Tash interrupted rudely. “I’m missing out on the yummy welcome lunch because I was sent to find you! We’re in the Hay Net restaurant. So, hurry up, okay?” She whirled around and jogged away in the direction of a large building, just visible through the trees.

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll be . . . um, right there!” Lindsey called after her.

  She was confused. Why hadn’t Tash said something about the dark-brown Fell pony standing there as large as life? It was almost as if she hadn’t noticed him. Lindsey didn’t get it.